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2005 American Le Mans Series at Mid-Ohio
By: Drew Phillips
Photos by Paul Miller
June 17, 2005

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Coming into the third race of the ALMS season at Mid-Ohio, there was still plenty yet to be settled. In P1, Audi had won the first two races of the season, but the two Dyson cars are always a threat and were looking very competitive during practice and qualifying. In P2, the new Mazda team was competing in only their second race, and they had some catching up to do with the Miracle Motorsports team holding the points lead in the class. The Corvette Racing team had just come off their first GT1 win in the C6-R at Road Atlanta, and they were looking to repeat with neither of the Aston Martins teams competing in the race. The ACEMCO Saleen team also wanted to take advantage and grab their first podium of the season. Lastly, the control for GT2 was up for grabs, with the 2004 Championship- winning Alex Job team trailing in the points race and the Panoz win hoping to repeat after their first win at Road Atlanta.

ALMS - P1 Class

For the first time since 2001, an Audi or Lola didn't take the pole as the No. 15 Zytek car had the fastest lap during qualifying. The team ended up in fourth in P1 and overall. Zytek, who mainly races in the Le Mans European Series, was encouraged by their success and hopes to return for some races later in the season. The real story of P1, however, was the Dyson team which captured not only the overall win, but finished 1-2 in a race where the Audi teams had an uncharacteristic amount of trouble. James Weaver and Butch Leitzinger took the lead on the first lap and eventually crossed the line first in the No. 16 car followed thirty seconds later by Chris Dyson and Andy Wallace in the No. 20 car. Chris Dyson commented after the race, "It was a fantastic result for the team. The race came our way. It's a sign of things to come for the rest of the year. James and Butch did a terrific job, and I'm happy for the team."

The Audis, on the other hand, did not have luck on their side. Lehto had an early crash in the No. 1 R8 that involved several of the GT2 cars and had to bring the car in to the pits for repairs. In typical Audi fashion, the team worked quickly and efficiently to get the race car back onto the track. The repairs took thirty-five minutes, however, and the car finished in 18th position overall. The No 2. Audi led the race for a while, but contact with the Maserati led to a stop-and-go penalty which resulted in the car dropping back to third place. The car stayed in 3rd place the rest of the race, even after rain caused a spin by Marco Werner near the end of the race. Werner said after the race, "Today was not our day. There was so much trouble. First JJ's accident and then I went off on the last lap because of the rain. It was difficult to be in the rain on slicks. The team did a great job getting us back in the race, which is important for us for the Championship."

ALMS - P2 Class

The race in the P2 class was dominated by the Miracle Motorsports team who were in control throughout the race. The team would have finished first in class were it not for one of their drivers, Jeff Bucknum, going over the allotted time in the car allowed for a single driver. The car was disqualified, giving the B-K Motorsports Mazda the class win. "I take the entire blame," said Miracle Motorsports owner Michael Macaluso. "It was my fist time as team manager, and I just wasn't paying attention. It's a real shame for the guys. They ran a great race and had had a great weekend." The Mazda team, in only their second race, was happy and surprised with the win. "Lady Luck really helped deliver an amazing weekend of racing," said Steve Sanders, manager of MAZDASPEED Motorsports Development. When we started the Mazda ALMS program, we knew that it was only a matter of time before we'd be on the top step of the podium, but no one thought we'd win in only our second race."

ALMS - GT1 Class

With the Aston Martins absent, everyone expected the Corvettes to be unstoppable in GTS. The Corvettes qualified 1-2 and finished that way. The two Corvettes supplied enough competition for each other to make it exciting, and the No. 3 Corvette crossed the line first after a 20-second penalty for the No. 4 car. Fellows and O'Connell, who drove the No. 3 car, each won their 23rd race in the series, an ALMS record. "All in all, it was a exciting race with an unexpected finish," said Doug Fehan, Corvette Racing program manager. "We never come away from an event without learning something. Most important, both cars are in perfect shape and ready to go to Le Mans." The ACEMCO Saleen team showed signs of improvement, and actually led the class early in the race after starting in third. The car's performance throughout the race has given the team confidence for the rest of the season.

ALMS - GT2 Class

Alex Job had a rocky start to the season. They had a frustrating early retirement from Sebring, and Panoz was on top of the first place podium at Road Atlanta. Adding to that, no Alex Job team had won at Mid Ohio. However, the No. 23 Porsche GT3 RSR driven by Timo Bernhard and Romain Dumas captured the pole and continued on to win the race despite various challenges from the weather and a high amount of yellow flag laps. "The car ran flawlessly, and with everything going on out there on the track they were able to focus and bring it home for the win" said team owner Alex Job after the race. The No. 31 Petersen Motorsports/White Lightning Racing Porsche finished second in GT2, adding points to its 1st place points standing for the season. The best Panoz team car finished in fifth place.

The next ALMS race of the season will be at Lime Rock Park in Lime Rock, CT on July 4.